Startup Growth Story ft. Naagin Sauce - Home of Original Indian Hot Sauce

Naagin Sauce brings you the first truly Indian hot sauce, made for Indian taste buds, with a curated blend of high-quality, ethically sauced ingredients.

We were joined by Mikhel Rajani, Co-Founder, Naagin Sauce for the Startup Growth Panel focused on Rising Direct-To-Consumer (DTC) brands in India.

Mikhel Rajani is a Co-Founder at Naagin Sauce, India's first hot sauce brand, he has a decade-long experience in the F&B industry including stints in Hong Kong & Italy.

He opened his first restaurant in 2012 – Francesco’s Pizzeria – now one of Mumbai’s iconic gourmet pizza chains and has a national record for delivering the world's first pizza by drone. 

You can watch the fun Startup Growth Panel with Mikhel and other founders of awesome Rising DTC Brands in India - Suraj Vazirani (The Beauty Co.), Vinay Kothari (GO DESi) and Nilisha Ferrao (Narla).

https://youtu.be/GdGZjfZPWnc

It was a super fun chat where we discussed their founding stories, early days, what worked for them, technology stack, key learnings, building brands, and advice for early-stage founders. 

Startup Stream

The eChai Effect - In Their Words

"After moving back from the USA, eChai became my go-to space to learn how the Indian startup ecosystem works. It offered direct exposure to startup thinking and a community that openly shares business insights. What stood out was how easy it was to connect, learn, and grow through real conversations. As we built our IT hardware rentals business, eChai helped us find our niche and refine our path. Proud and grateful to be part of this amazing community."
Heet Sheth - Growth and Tech, Sheth Info
Heet Sheth
Growth and Tech, Sheth Info
"I attended my first eChai event 3 yrs back, and no one knew me in the market. Over the next three years, eChai didn’t only help me with knowledge or networking, but it gave me an identity from being unknown to now being recognized by a group of inspirational entrepreneurs connected with eChai, who have been gracious enough to acknowledge me and Digipple."
Viraj Rajani - Co-Founder, Digipple
Viraj Rajani
Co-Founder, Digipple
"From late-night brainstorming over chai to early morning founder calls, eChai has been more than just a network for me; it’s been home base for ideas, impact, and inspiration. What started as a simple meetup years ago turned into a powerful movement, connecting founders, creators, and dreamers. I’ve had the privilege of seeing startups find product-market fit, marketers (like me) find unexpected collaborations, and most importantly, people finding their tribe. संगच्छध्वं संवदध्वं – Let us move together, speak together. It’s not just a verse from the Rigveda — it’s how Jatin and the entire eChai community truly operate. We don’t just network, we grow together. Forever grateful to be a part of the eChai Effect.
Jaydip Parikh - Chief Everything Officer at Tej SolPro
Jaydip Parikh
Chief Everything Officer at Tej SolPro

eChai Partner Brands

eChai Ventures partners with select brands as their growth partner - working together to explore new ideas, open doors, and build momentum across the startup ecosystem.